A hotline that directly connects the Pentagon to the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport hasn’t been operational since March 2022, an US Federal Aviation Administration official said.

The revelation comes months after the midair collision between a commercial jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people, raising questions about military aircraft in the congested capital airspace.

Federal Aviation Administration officials appeared in front of lawmakers on Wednesday as the agency tries to undertake a significant modernization project.

The current ATC system "is based on an outdated technologies that are unable to meet" modern demands, an administration statement said.

The downed line was only noticed after the mid-air collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and a regional passenger plane killed 67 people over the Potomac River in late January.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Sunday during an interview appearance on NBC News' Meet the Press that he's "concerned about the whole [United States] airspace," citing old equipment being used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), that at times needs to be purchased from the online marketplace, eBay.

The Federal Aviation Administration has initiated an investigation into Las Cruces International Airport, based on allegations that a city employee is performing duties for which they are

Air Traffic Organization deputy COO Franklin McIntosh revealed in an exchange with Klobuchar that the agency is only on track to hire 2,000 air traffic controllers by the end of this year —